Mayor Mike McGinn's Youth and Families Initiative community meetings, which were kicked off a week ago at the Rainer Community Center, will continue this week on Monday from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in our neck of the woods at Northgate Elementary School.
According to the invitation extended to Seattleites on McGinn's website, the series of meetings have been convened around the city because, "The children and families of our city are facing many difficult challenges. As a community, we need to talk about what we want for our kids and how best to create a healthy, positive and equitable environment for all families in our city."
Indeed we must talk, says one emerging Seattle organization, Seattle Against Slavery, which sees the Youth and Families Initiative conversation as a fitting context within which to advocate for victims and survivors of human trafficking. "The theme of these meeting is 'what's best for our kids'," stated Deana Berg, Metro Government Relations Director for Seattle Against Slavery (SAS), and Co-Founder of Washington Anti-Trafficking Engagement (WATE), which makes this a opportune moment to discuss the reality of trafficking, especially since, "A 2008 study commission by the Human Services Department in Seattle estimates there are 300-500 prostituted children each year in King County alone," according to Berg.
Anecdotal stories from Aurora area residents and instances such as the brothel bust at an Aurora tanning salon in November 2008 suggest that a number of those 300-500 children likely have been prostituted along the Aurora corridor, which includes stretches known to police, pimps, and prostitutes as "the track" (here and here). Aurora has a long-standing reputation as the place for "johns" to find prostitutes. In fact, an employee at Aurora's Z Food Mart, which replaced the busted brothel on the 9500 block, recently told Aurora|Seattle that men often enter the store asking, "Where are you keeping the whores?", wrongly expecting that the convenience store has carried on the activities of the previous tenant.
Seattle Against Slavery may end up changing the reputation of Aurora Avenue, but it is more concerned about changing the reality. SAS hopes to end trafficking on Aurora, and all over Seattle. Commenced in May 2009 in the wake of the UNBOUND Conference, hosted by the Freedom Initiative, the grassroots coalition "seeks to raise human trafficking awareness and mobilize the public to better advocate for victims, enhance survivor care, promote legislation to combat human trafficking, and help service providers build capacity."
SAS has dual sentiments about the city of Seattle's action in response to human trafficking. Regarding the city's residential recovery program for prostituted children, for which it recently raised $1.2 million from area foundations and private donors including local rock legends Stone Gossard and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam (full disclosure: my favorite band) in an effort spearheaded by City Councilmember Tim Burgess, Berg stated to SAS supporters, "We think it is egregious there had not been comprehensive services for the survivors of this crime provided to a great degree by the City of Seattle or King County. We are very pleased the city is currently taking action and that private donors have stepped up to cover remaining costs for the new prostituted youth program through the Human Services Department facilitated by YouthCare."
SAS hopes to raise their voices at McGinn's Youth and Families Initiative meetings in support of this prostituted youth program as well as spur on other future city initiatives. After Monday night's meeting, McGinn will be hosting three more community workshops:
March 8 – Van Asselt Elementary School 7:00-8:30 p.m.
March 15 – Denny Middle School 7:00-8:30 p.m.
March 22 – Garfield Community Center 7:00-8:30 p.m.
